The Lenovo Smart Display is currently the sole entity to be launched in the market with this capability, but other big brands like LG, Sony, and JBL also have planes to make them.

Lenovo’s version has both an 8” display version and a 10” display version. These Smart Displays have more than just a display screen for Google Assistant. They run a new operating system, Android Things, which is specifically designed and created for the Internet of Things.

Latest in Smart Display Design

It is hard to tell the Lenovo Smart Display from a gadget or device created by Google.

While Lenovo isn’t the sole manufacturer to incorporate Google Assistant, it has the best integration of all the brands who signed up for the Google Assistant feature.

Lenovo has been victorious in making a device that represents the brand of Google.

Lenovo’s 8” and 10” version of the rectangular-shaped devices have expanded speaker slots on the left side. It can be made to balance horizontally or vertically on any surface as long as it is flat.

Most Lenovo Smart Display reviews online mention this feature as one of its strongest selling points.

It’s easy to be misled into thinking of the device as a jacked-up tablet. Unlike conventional tablets, it’s not flat. That’s actually the most intriguing part of its structure.

The device is asymmetrical, with an arm that’s shaped like an L protruding from the bottom of the speaker. The Smart Display is designed with a slightly concaved back, which makes it a bit unwieldy to hold initially.

However, the gadget isn’t meant to used like a typical mobile device. Once you have selected a location for it, that’s where it will stay. You don’t need to worry or manage about angle arrangements anymore.

Lenovo also integrated camera toggles and a mic function in the design of their Smart Display. These lets you to turn the function off whenever it is not needed.

The mic can be toggled to turn on or off while the toggle for the camera works pretty much like a shutter. Both models are built with a 10W sound speaker that easily fills the entire room with sound.

Of course, the speaker in the 10” model is relatively bigger compared with the 8” one. There’s no doubt you’ll be impressed with this Smart Display’s sound quality.

Enhancements in Internal Makeup

Smart Display is powered by Qualcomm’s 624 Hub.

Lenovo’s Smart Display works on Qualcomm’s 624 Home Hub system. This is the speedier and more reliable one among the company’s architecture developed specifically for Android Things gadgets.

The good thing about the Qualcomm Home Hub is that it can process verbal and visual requests made to Google Assistant.

Lenovo explained its creation as Android Things overlaid with Google Assistant. It is essentially a visual representation of the Google Assistant.

The interface is user-friendly and those who utilize Android regularly will find the UI comfortingly familiar. It’s like a Chromecast mixed with Google Assistant’s mobile application.

The apps used on the Smart Display are distinct from that seen on most smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Therefore, it has a different feel when in use.

You also won’t see any bloatware in this device since there’s literally no place for it.

When the ambient display screen appears again, the main screen will continue to show the date and time, information about the weather, and cards with information related to recently suggested or searched content.

Get the Latest News When You Need It

Enjoy the convenience of getting all your news in one device.

Similar to Alexa on Amazon Echo devices, the Google Assistant has a ‘good morning’ feature which is a customizable list of actions that can function by saying “Hey Google, good morning.”

In addition to telling you what’s on your calendar for the day, reminders scheduled, or the weather forecast, the feature is also able to read out news summaries from different sources.

On the Smart Display, some of these news sources produce video reports that play during the morning update.

It’s like having TV networks chime in with snippets of the day’s top stories, but you don’t need to fumble with your remote to get information from all your favorite sources.

You will enjoy the variety of audio and video-based reports in the morning news update.

The same Alexa feature is known as Flash Briefing, can also support video reports from different news outlets that make the time to produce for the Echo Show and the Echo Spot.

You may also notice that some categories of the Smart Display yields more visual result that the others.

Asking the assistant how to cook a menu will produce a list of recipes scraped from the Internet, just like everything else you need to ask for.

While the assistant doesn’t default to showing a video of how to make a particular recipe, it will guide you through the process of making that recipe using verbal and on-screen instructions.

It can also read out loud all the ingredients that you’ll need before you even begin cooking. It’s a better alternative to cook than following a YouTube video since you need to pause from time to time.

While you are cooking, a list of optional follow-up commands pops up on the bottom of the Smart Display’s screen in individual bubbles.

You can tap an option or just say “Ok Google” followed by that command for the Assistant to help you further.

Enjoy Youtube Premium

Get three free months of YouTube Premium.

Google knows how important its online video pet is to customers and to other companies that make gadgets and devices with screens.

To entice users to use Smart Display, Google opts to give new subscribers three free months of YouTube premium.

The YouTube experience on the Smart Display is not the typical YouTube in a browser or in a mobile app since a lot better than expected.

While the Google Assistant on the Smart Display can’t show any subscription list yet, it’s search function is smart enough to pull videos from specific accounts you subscribe to.

Playing the latest video from possibly Literate on YouTube causes the device to play the most recently uploaded video from your favorite YouTubers.

Even if sometimes the Google Assitant won’t be able to recognize the channel you said, it will still bring up a carousel of results.

It’s stellar voice recognition and search prowess will give you essentially the results you are searching for; just without the convenience of autoplay.

Even without a traditional app interface, you can access YouTube in a fairly easy manner. Android Things on the device doesn’t support full apps like what you’d see in a tablet.

The trick is to ask what you want from Google Assistant and be specfic as possible.

YouTube also provides solutions and response to specific questions such as “Hey Google, how do you make a ribbon?”

Just ask your question and Google Assistant will automatically play the top search results from YouTube.

Take Advantage of Google Duo Calls

Check that you can access Google Duo Calls on the Lenovo Smart Display.

Video calling is another benefit of having a display on a Google Assistant device.

Google Duo is the default service that makes video calls on the Smart Display users or anyone who has the Google Duo app installed on their smartphone.

It is very easy to make a call. You just say “Hey Google, call Dad” or whoever it is that you want to call. If the person has a Google Duo installed, the Assistant will ask if you want to have a voice or video call.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the resolution of Lenovo Smart Display?

The 8-inch screen is equipped with 1280 x 800 and the 10-inch version has 1920 x 1200.

How long does the battery last for Lenovo Smart Display?

It depends on the usage but it can be idle for 1-2 days if not in use.

How is the sound quality of Lenovo Smart Display?

Users reported that sound quality is good with Lenovo’s 10-watt speakers and tweeters on each side.

One Last Thing

Overall, the Smart Display is a good way to familiarize yourself with Android Things. It also gives you a great opportunity to see the improvements made to the Google Assistant.

The top-notch hardware also sets the Smart Display apart from its rivals. This is due to the Google Assistant being the sole device that packs a screen, giving you immediate access to apps like Google Duo and YouTube.

What do you think of the Lenovo Smart Display? Do you want to know more about the device? Post your questions or share your thoughts in the comments below, then share this article with your family and friends to help them learn more about the Lenovo Smart Display.